Nora's Secret
by pokemon fan 98
Summary: After Iris gets the stomach bug, she and Barry discover that Nora has been keeping something from them. My take on the secret Nora is keeping from Team Flash (we know it's something) - what it is, what motivated her to keep it to herself... and the consequences the team is beginning to see.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know, it's not a very creative title, but I couldn't think of anything else fast enough. We all know Nora is keeping something from the team, because of the end scene of 5x03, with Nora's talk with Sherloque. This is one possibility for what that secret might be (I think it's an interesting theory). It's at least two parts, possibly more if people want it. (Let me know, please!) I'll post the second part soon.**

* * *

"How are you doing?"

Barry looked over at Nora's question. "Oh I'm fine. Why?"

"You look a little distracted." Nora sat down next to him.

"A lot's going on," he admitted. "Cicada's still out there, and his dagger basically stripped Cisco of his powers. Caitlin's been spending every free minute searching for Icicle or talking to Frost, to try and get her back permanently."

Nora's face darkened, and Barry automatically reached a hand out to her. He straightened as he touched her arm, trying to wipe all signs of worry from his expression. There was no reason for her to be thinking about this stuff too. "Do you know where your mom is?"

"I think she went to talk to Papa Joe."

"She did. About an hour ago," Sherloque said. Barry had almost forgotten Sherloque was here, he'd been so quiet. The detective had been in front of the crime board since Barry sat down at the computer, studying everything they knew about Cicada. Sherloque turned to look at Barry and Nora. "You two should go run."

"Why?" Nora asked.

"Because you are distracting me," Sherloque said, turning back to the crime board. "I feel I am very close to breaking the case wide open, as you say."

Nora looked at Barry, and her bemused expression made him half-smile, it was so much like Iris's. "I guess we could have a race," he said. "You know I raced Wally around the city once."

"When you were trying to make him fast enough to beat Savitar, to save Mom," Nora said, that giddiness she frequently expressed coming back as she proved her knowledge. Barry shouldn't have been surprised she knew that. "I'm not as fast as you," she said. "It wouldn't even be a race."

"Then we won't race. We'll just run." He wanted to keep her from sharing the stresses he was feeling, and one way was to keep her busy. He wouldn't mind being busy for a few minutes either. So they suited up and hit the streets.

Instead of staying at S.T.A.R. Labs after their run, they went to the West house to find Iris. Barry tried to sit down next to her on the couch. Nora beat him to it, sitting and hugging her. Barry smiled softly and sat on Nora's other side, reaching his arm behind her to hold Iris's hand for a second.

"You two seem happy," Iris said.

"Just went for a run," Nora said. "Dad showed me some of his old training spots. It was schway."

Iris chuckled.

"Now that's a picture," Joe said, from his chair a few feet away. He had a contented smile on his face as he looked at Barry, Iris, and Nora on the couch, and Barry realized he probably had a smile to match.

Until Iris bolted from the couch with her hand over her mouth. Barry was moving before he realized it, following her to the trash can. He swept her hair back and held it back with one hand as she heaved, his other hand pressed on her back. He could see Nora standing with her hands held out, ready to help if needed, and Joe walking over.

Barry rubbed Iris's back as she took a few gasping breaths, and when she started to stand up straight, he snatched a napkin from the table and held it out to her. She took it wordlessly, wiping at her mouth and throwing it away. Only then did she meet his eyes, and say a low "thanks."

"You okay?" he asked.

"Not too hot, apparently."

Barry kissed her forehead, hoping she took the action as pure affection – and didn't realize he was taking her temperature as well. She wasn't too hot at all, and instead seemed a bit on the clammy side. If he tried to make her take it easy, saying she might be getting sick… well, she wouldn't listen to him. If he proposed cuddling on the couch, however…

He started walking her back to the couch, wrapping his arm around her. "Do you feel sick?" Nora asked.

Iris didn't have a fever, as far as Barry could tell, but the slight clamminess did concern him.

"Not this second," Iris said. "I woke up a little nauseous." She frowned. "Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize for something you can't control," Joe chastised. He walked to the bathroom and returned with the wastebasket, which he handed to Barry. Barry took it and set it at his feet. "Just in case," Joe said.

Iris looked like she wanted to argue that she wouldn't need it, but she just rested her head on Barry's shoulder – a sure sign that she wasn't feeling her best. The next sign was when she tensed, two minutes later, and Barry rushed to hold the wastebasket up for her as she was sick again.

Barry met Joe's eyes as Iris recovered her breath, and knew Joe recognized it as well. Iris had the stomach bug.

* * *

Iris actively had the stomach bug for four days, during which Barry only left her side when she was sleeping. And when he did leave her at those times, it was to run to S.T.A.R. Labs. Nora was a big help, bringing ginger ale and saltine crackers to the loft. She even ran Caitlin to the loft, when they first got Iris home to it, so the doctor could check her over.

As Iris slept on that fifth day of her being sick, Barry sat in the cortex with Nora, Cisco, and Caitlin. "She seems like she's getting over it," Barry said.

"She definitely looked better when I saw her this morning," Nora said, looking at Caitlin and Cisco.

"I just hope she's the only one to get it," Cisco said. "I hate the stomach bug."

"Don't most people?" Caitlin asked rhetorically. She looked at Barry. "She's been drinking lots of water, right?"

"Water, watered down Gatorade, and ginger ale," he confirmed.

Caitlin nodded her approval. "The bug doesn't typically last more than a few days, so it probably is on its way out of her system. She must be itching to get out of the loft."

"You have no idea," Barry said. Iris was never good with staying in one place for too long, even if she wasn't feeling good.

"At least it's not a bad time to be sick," Cisco said. "Cicada's gone quiet since we know who he is. Icicle's still off the radar. She's really not missing much."

"She's missing this," Nora said, gesturing between them. "Seeing you guys. Spending time here in the lab." She looked down. "It may not seem like a lot, but -."

Cisco half-smiled. "But it is," he finished for her. "You really are your father's daughter; you know that? So family-oriented it's almost sappy? I mean that in a good way."

"Oh, sure you do," Nora said, grinning. Barry knew what was coming, and saw that Caitlin wasn't surprised either when Nora and Cisco started yet another exchange of witty banter. Barry had to admit, Nora gave Cisco a run for his money, with how fast she was throwing shade. They scooted closer together, and Barry walked over to stand next to Caitlin.

"She does fit right in," Caitlin said, looking at Barry with a kind of amazement.

Barry watched Nora and Cisco as they laughed, over something he hadn't heard. "Yeah," he agreed, without really hearing Caitlin either.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked. "I can tell your mind's somewhere else."

"Sorry, Cait," he sighed, looking at her. "I'm just worried about Iris. You said the stomach bug is usually fast, and I've had it before, but this is a weird one. Iris seems to be just fine, and then a couple hours later she's sick again."

"I can run a few tests, if you want," Caitlin offered.

Barry found himself nodding. "If she's still sick tomorrow morning, I'd appreciate it."

Barry stayed there for a little while longer, talking with Caitlin until Cisco and Nora called it quits, and then he told them he'd be back in the morning.

Iris was awake when he got back, and Barry crawled over to her side of the bed to put his head over her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Sorry I wasn't here when you woke up."

She reached a hand up, fingering it through his hair. "Babe, I only woke up a few minutes ago. I figured you were at the lab."

Barry moved so he was sitting next to her. "Feel any better?"

"Good as ever," Iris said. "Again," she added emphatically, as she stood.

"Want to try eating some soup? I think we still have some of Joe's homemade chicken noodle in the fridge."

"Would you mind heating some up for me? I want to go wash my face."

Barry watched her walk away and went to go heat up that soup. He watched her eat it, and made her drink some ginger ale and watched a movie with her, a part of him tensed to run for a bucket if need be. But she seemed fine.

* * *

When she was nauseous and sick the next morning, after claiming she felt fine, Barry's mind started thinking of possible reasons for the strange sickness. He brushed Iris's hair back from her face as she finished being sick, and helped her to the couch before racing to S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Caitlin here?" he asked Ralph, in the cortex.

"Talking with Frost and Cisco," Ralph said. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know," Barry said, running to find them. Cisco and Caitlin both had the neural devices on their foreheads (Caitlin had the primary, Cisco a secondary receiver so he could hear Frost too). They'd done this three-way conversation once before, and Caitlin had said it helped weaken the mental barrier DeVoe had set up. Barry felt a little guilty interrupting them now, but he didn't want to leave Iris alone for long.

"Okay, Elsa, I wasn't that harsh," Cisco was saying when Barry walked in.

"Hey, guys," Barry said.

They turned to face him.

"Caitlin, can you come check on Iris?" he asked.

"She's still sick?"

"It looks like it," Barry said. Caitlin's brow furrowed at his response. Of course she heard the hesitancy behind his response. Something made Cisco's expression change as well, and Caitlin explained to Barry:

"Frost thinks you're not sharing something."

"Tell Frost I just want to make sure my wife is okay."

Cisco waited a second, and then nodded. "Didn't need to vibe to predict that one. She said she can hear you."

"We'll pick this up later," Caitlin said to Frost. She listened for a few seconds, and smiled to herself before taking off the neural device. She set it down and walked over to Barry. "Sorry to make you wait. Just let me grab a few things, and we can head right over."

He carried her to the med-bay and let her get what she needed, and then brought her to the loft.

"Barry, what are we – oh, hey Caitlin."

Iris stood in the kitchen, a mug of coffee in her hands. She was dressed for the day and looked… well, normal. She didn't look sick at all.

"You're okay?" Barry asked.

"Babe, you worry too much. I think this morning was just the tail end of the bug." She looked at Caitlin. "I'm guessing he wants you to check on me."

Caitlin held up her medical supplies. "Good guess. Do you mind?"

Iris sighed and sat down at the table. "We both know Barry won't stop worrying until you do it."

Barry watched as Caitlin took a variety of samples: blood, urine, and skin scrapings from inside Iris's cheek. She also took Iris's temperature and checked her lymph nodes. "I'll have results soon," she said when she had everything she needed.

"Thanks, Caitlin," Barry said.

He brought her back to the lab and found Iris waiting for him with her arms crossed.

"Aw, don't be mad," he said.

"I had blood drawn, and I peed in a cup, because of you." She walked up closer.

"Iris -,"

She shushed him by kissing him. "I know, babe," she said, a few seconds later. "You just want to make sure everything's okay. And I love you for it. But Nora's not freaking out. Caitlin didn't really seem concerned, and she's a doctor."

Barry held her close. "There's something we might need to think about," he started. "They're thinking you just had the stomach bug, but what if there's something else? What if you're…?"

She stepped back, her mouth open. "Oh my God, you think I'm pregnant?"

"That's not what I said," he said quickly.

He could see her thinking fast. "I need to take a test."

"Is the math right?" he asked.

She took another few seconds, and then nodded slowly, twice. "It might be. It's close, and it's not always exact, so…"

Barry picked her up and ran her to the lab. They surprised Caitlin so much she dropped one of the samples, but Barry caught it before it hit the floor.

"What are you doing here?" Caitlin asked with slight shock.

"Can you look at the blood sample first?" Barry asked. He used his speed to put it on a slide and load it into the microscope.

"Sure, yeah," she said, sounding slightly flustered. "I'm guessing you have a reason?"

"We want to know if I was actually sick," Iris said.

"Why wouldn't you be…" Barry saw it click for her, and she leaned into the microscope with slightly pink cheeks. It was quiet for a few minutes, as she looked at that sample and the results she'd already loaded into the computer, and then she turned to them. "You were definitely sick," she said. "Your white blood cell count is higher than normal, suggesting your immune system was fighting something very recently."

Barry felt Iris looking at him. "So it's just a weird stomach bug, that attacks in waves?" Barry asked for her.

Caitlin hesitated. "You _were_ sick, but the white blood cell count wasn't as high as it would be for an active immune response. It's in the median zone, falling back to normal rates of reproduction. I started the analysis of your blood just before you got here, and it just finished. It looks like your estrogen and FSH levels are higher than normal."

"Estrogen," Barry repeated. "Meaning…"

"Meaning if I take a pregnancy test, it'll be positive?" Iris asked, looking now at Caitlin.

Caitlin bit her lip. "From the hormone levels, and the fact that you're sick in the morning… it's likely."

Barry could see it setting in as he looked at Iris, in how her eyes were growing distant and her mouth was parted slightly. "Do you want me to get a test?" he asked quietly.

She nodded mutely, and he ran to the convenience store, throwing money on the counter as he passed by with the box.

"I could have done the test with the sample I got earlier," Caitlin said when Barry ran back in, ripping open the box.

Barry handed one of the test sticks to Iris, and another to Caitlin. "It's good to double check, and this way we won't have to wait to do the second test."

Iris went to do her test. Barry watched as Caitlin used some of the urine sample from earlier on the second test, and paced as he waited for the result. Iris came in and put her stick next to the first.

A few minutes later, Barry grabbed the sticks and held one out to his wife. "Look at the same time," he said. She nodded, and he looked at the one in his grip.

"Positive," he said, looking at Iris searchingly.

He could see tears swimming behind her eyes when she met his, but she was smiling. "Mine too," she said.

Barry stared at her as he realized what this meant. Two tests, combined with the morning sickness and the hormone levels… He ran up to her and embraced her, grinning. "Iris, this is great."

"What's going on?"

Barry looked at Nora as she appeared in the doorway.

"I'm better!" Iris said quickly, separating from Barry. She looked at Barry and Caitlin. "Right, guys?"

Barry stepped slightly in front of Caitlin, well aware that the scientist would need a few more seconds to compose herself to the lie. "Caitlin just did a final test for us, and Iris is in the clear," Barry confirmed.

"That's awesome!" Nora said. She went up and hugged Iris. "I knew nothing would keep you down for too long."

"Yeah," Iris agreed. "I'm definitely ready to be back."

"Do the others know? I'm gonna go tell them," Nora said, and ran out.

Iris turned to Barry and Caitlin quickly. "Okay, I know I didn't say it, but I think we should keep it between us for now," she said.

"Why?" Caitlin asked.

Iris's hand went to her stomach. "Because we might need to send Nora back to the future. I don't know, but we have some things to talk about. So please, keep this between us?"

"Of course," Barry said.

Caitlin nodded. "Whatever you think is best."

* * *

They kept it between them for about two more weeks, until they'd decided to just tell Nora and the others. Barry understood Iris's fear. If Nora was here as an adult when she was born, it could complicate things. But he convinced Iris that they needed to just talk about it with her, to get an understanding of what they should do.

Caitlin realized something, before they met with the others to do the big reveal:

"You're six weeks," she said to Iris. "We can see if it's a boy or a girl," she said with a teasing smile, "unless you want to be surprised."

Iris put her hand to her belly almost instinctively, as she'd begun doing since finding out she was pregnant. "That's just through a sonogram, right?" Caitlin nodded, and Iris looked at Barry with an amused half-smile. "Why not? We'll want the picture for the baby book anyway."

"We're doing one of those?"

She fixed him a look, and he nodded. "Of course we're doing one of those. I think we should do two!"

She chuckled, and he walked over next to her as Caitlin did the sonogram.

"So what are we having?" Iris asked, still smiling.

Caitlin had her back to them, and Barry looked at her when she didn't say anything. "Caitlin?"

She turned to them, and she seemed… confused? "I don't…"

"What is it?" Iris asked, sitting up.

Barry walked over to Caitlin. "Cait, what's wrong?"

"It's a boy," Caitlin said in a low voice. "The baby – you're having a boy."

"What does that – how is that possible?" Iris asked.

Barry froze, and then sucked in a breath as fear coursed through him – if this was a change from the original timeline, where before they'd had a girl… _"Nora."_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the feedback for the first part of this story! I'm glad you're interested. Here's the second part!**

* * *

He ran through the lab, searching for her. She wasn't there. He ran to the West house and Jitters, and then back to the lab. He must have passed her as she was going, because she was in the lab with a fresh Jitters coffee in hand.

"Hey Dad!" she greeted when he raced in.

Barry ran up to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace, finally letting himself breathe.

"Dad, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I thought you might have… I'm so glad you're safe."

"It was a coffee run," she said, frowning in confusion.

Barry grabbed her arm and started walking towards the med-bay. "Come with me. I'll explain."

"Barry, is she – Oh, thank God," Iris said when they walked in.

"Mom, Dad won't tell me what's going on."

Iris looked at her with a straight face. "I'm pregnant, Nora."

Nora didn't seem to react much. She didn't smile or anything. She just kept looking at Iris.

"I'm pregnant, and we thought it had to be with you," Iris said. "But Caitlin did a sonogram, and we're having a boy. That's why your dad was so scared, Nora. We thought things had changed and maybe you hadn't… well, it doesn't matter, you're here now."

Caitlin stepped forward. "How is that possible, unless…"

Barry caught onto the same wavelength, and looked at Nora. "You're not our only child, are you?"

Nora reacted now, and her expression was easy enough to recognize from when she'd first appeared in their lives: guilt.

"We have a son and a daughter," Iris said, sounding as stunned as Barry felt.

"Nora, why didn't you tell us?" Barry asked.

"It wasn't supposed to happen this soon. It should be a year from now, but since you didn't have to recover from the satellite… I guess I sped things along."

Iris stood. "We need an explanation, Nora."

"He didn't want to come back with me. He said it was a bad idea, and that it could mess up the timeline in ways I didn't know, so I didn't think I had to mention him."

"No, there's something else," Barry said. He walked right up to his daughter, trying to be gentle but also let her know that he needed an answer. "Why didn't you tell us you have an older brother?"

Nora seemed close to tears, though not entirely from sadness. If anything, the set of her features made Barry think she was slightly angry. "Because he's working with Thawne, Dad. He says he's not, but he's dating Frost's daughter, so how can he not be?"

The room was still for a few seconds, with barely the sound of breathing as the implications of Nora's words sunk in.

Barry's eyes went to Caitlin, as, he was sure, did Iris's. Caitlin's brows were furrowed, and she was starting to raise a hand questioningly as she looked at Nora. "Frost's daughter?"

Nora was definitely angry. "You know what I mean. Your daughter, but with Frost's powers, and all of Frost's worst qualities. Power-hungry, distant, manipulative -."

"Hey, hey!" Iris interrupted. "Remember how upset you were with me a few months ago, for things I hadn't even done? Caitlin and Frost haven't done anything wrong. Don't go off on them."

Nora's nostrils flared as she breathed out, but she didn't go back to insulting Frost.

Barry looked at everyone. "Alright, I think we need to talk things over," he said, when he realized no one was meeting anyone else's eyes.

"I need to go for a run," Nora said, and disappeared from the room.

Barry clenched his teeth together, and then looked at Iris and Caitlin. "She'll come back soon, and explain why she's so upset."

Caitlin was staring at the doorway, no doubt thinking about Nora's outburst. Barry went to put a reassuring hand on her arm, but Caitlin started walking before he'd even moved. "I'm gonna talk to Frost," she said quietly. "I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Barry watched her walk out and put his hands behind his head. "This is a mess."

Iris wrapped her arms around him from behind, sighing and placing her hands on his chest. Barry placed his hands over hers, trying to let her know that he appreciated the contact. He couldn't figure out anything to say, so he hoped the motion was enough.

* * *

They waited in the lab for two hours before Nora came back. Iris had gone to check on Caitlin in the beginning of that waiting period, and told Barry the scientist was just using the mental activity dampener to talk to Frost. After checking on her, Iris started scouring the internet for clues on an article she was writing, as Barry caught up on the write-up for a CCPD case. When Nora walked in, Barry saw that she was wringing her hands in front of her, and moving with slightly hunched shoulders.

"Hey," she said quietly.

Iris glanced at her, still scrolling on the computer. "You ready to tell us what's going on?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Barry looked at Iris, and both turned their full attention to Nora. "Should Caitlin be here too?" Iris asked. "You at least need to explain the Frost comment to her."

Nora ran out and returned with her arm linked through Caitlin's. Caitlin looked between them as she took a quiet breath. "You guys need to give more warning when you do that," she said, removing the mental activity dampener from her forehead.

Barry pushed out a seat for her, which she took after a second of hesitation. Caitlin looked at Nora with a guarded but expectant expression.

"I told you I came back because I wanted to get to know Dad," Nora said. "That's completely true. I knew I was going to come back to meet you guys, because I needed to know who you were. Henry tried to tell me not to."

There seemed to be a cold spot in Barry's throat. "Your brother's name is Henry?"

"Henry Joseph, after Papa Allen and Papa Joe. He's a speedster too. He was the one who told me I have powers. Once I knew that, I started planning when I should come back to see you, even though he said it was a bad idea." She smiled lightly, with a trace of sadness, as she looked at Barry. "You know how impulsive I can be. He couldn't convince me to stay in our time, but he made me realize I needed to pick a moment carefully. I wanted it to be after you guys were married, but before you had Henry. I was thinking it over in the Flash Museum when the curator pointed out that Dad was always fastest before the Enlightenment. After that night, his speed fluctuated more, and never went back to the speed it is now."

"So you wanted to change that," Iris said.

Nora nodded. "I figured, maybe if Dad didn't lose part of his speed that night, he would be able to keep up with Reverse-Flash in the future, and wouldn't be trapped by him. I wanted to prove I could be a hero too. So I helped destroy the satellite that, in the original timeline, Dad destroyed but took months to recover from. And we all know that it changed more than I thought it would."

"My speed is fine, but Cicada is different," Barry said, nodding.

"Why do you think your brother and my – and my daughter – are working with Reverse-Flash?" Caitlin asked.

Nora finally looked at Caitlin. "Reverse-Flash has shown interest in cold powers before, to help him fight my dad. Frost followed Savitar for power. Henry told me that Reverse-Flash confronted he and Kristin once, on a date. A few weeks later she started acting all weird, and I didn't see Henry as much. Which makes me think Kristin is working with Reverse-Flash, and Henry is tagging along, either blind to it or ignoring it."

"But you don't know that she's actually working with him," Barry said.

"No," Nora admitted, almost reluctantly. "I didn't want to take the chance of missing it, though, and thought I'd come a little earlier than the Enlightenment. I thought maybe I could change one little thing, and take Frost out of the picture. So I visited each of you before I revealed our connection, and in my visit with Caitlin and Harry, I kept Caitlin from realizing -."

"The first time I remembered what Frost thought," Caitlin said, leaning forward. "Harry and I were talking about it when you spilled your drink on us."

Nora dipped her head guiltily. "I wanted to keep you separate so when DeVoe put the mental block in your head, you might not try to get her back. If Frost wasn't active in your life, Kristin might not get her powers, so Reverse-Flash wouldn't even try to recruit her."

It was a lot of information, but Barry thought he had everything straight. He knew he probably had a stupefied look on his face, but he was more concerned with thinking it through than what expression he was wearing. Barry could tell that Caitlin wasn't sure how to feel. To be honest, he wasn't sure himself.

"I still don't know why you wouldn't tell us about Henry in the first place," Iris said.

Nora took a breath, standing straighter. "I told Henry I wanted to help Dad with the satellite, right before I left. He said Dad was supposed to lose his speed." She fixed a stern look at them. "Why would he say that unless he wanted Reverse-Flash to trap Dad?"

"Because he wanted to keep the timeline intact," Barry said.

Nora walked over to them. "He didn't care about seeing you."

Iris was shaking her head. "No, Nora, he just didn't want to change things in the future."

Barry looked at Caitlin and saw that she was studying Nora carefully. He couldn't read Caitlin's expression anymore, it had become so stoic.

Reverse-Flash had brought so much pain and trouble into Barry's life. According to Nora, he would be a threat in the future as well. Whether or not Caitlin's daughter, and Barry's son, were actually working with him (which Barry doubted), Nora had been scared enough of Reverse-Flash to change a pivotal moment in Barry's life – she'd saved his speed. They'd thought the changed Cicada was the biggest consequence of that action, but now… Barry wasn't sure what to think.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Nora said, to Barry and Iris. "And Caitlin, I'm sorry I distracted you that night." She held her head high. "I did what I thought was right, to change the future."

"Which you did," Caitlin said. "Iris is pregnant a year early."

Barry looked at Iris, who had her hand protectively placed on her stomach. "Now we just have to see _how much_ it's changed," he said.

She seemed to realize what he was thinking, and he could see how torn she was. "Barry, I don't know," she said.

"We need to know," he said quietly.

"Dad -."

Barry stood up. "I want to go to the future."

* * *

 **A/N: So originally, I had written everything up to those last few lines. I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue, after explaining Nora's secret. But I want to explore the future, so I'm going to write a bit more.**

 **Also: am I the only one that thinks Nora isn't a big fan of Killer Frost? In this chapter I brought up Nora's first meeting with Caitlin and Harry. Nora had a strange, serious look on her face after they walked away in that episode. With everyone else, she seemed her usual smiley/happy self when they walked away. I really hope the show explains why she reacted so differently with that meeting than with all the others, because I find it suspicious. And the fact that Nora interrupted the conversation by spilling a Killer Frost drink on them? Like I theorized in this story, I don't think Nora likes Frost much. What do you think?**

 **If you have any ideas for the future Barry wants to see, let me know. I'll be working on it this week, but my next update might be a few days late, because of classes wrapping up for the semester. I hope you liked part two, and until next communion!**


	3. Chapter 3

"I think everyone in this family has time-travelled enough," Iris said.

"We'll tell the others and put it up to a vote," Barry said. "They need to know the truth anyway."

Iris was staring at Barry. "You're going to go even if everyone says you shouldn't."

He could hear the disapproval and resignation in her tone, and though it pained him, he ignored it. He had a feeling about this. Iris would understand once he was back. "It won't harm anything to go to the future. I'll just know if we need to do something to change it, like we did with Savitar."

"I think you should go," Caitlin said.

Barry turned. Caitlin was still in her seat, but her expression was intense now.

"Really?" Iris asked.

"Yes. And I want to go too."

Barry's thoughts about what the future might look like became secondary. "Why do you – what?"

Caitlin stood, steel in her eyes. "Nora came back here partly because of me. I need to see for myself if any of her fears were accurate."

"Caitlin, I never thought _you_ were –."

"It doesn't matter," Caitlin said, cutting Nora off. She looked at Barry. "You can take people with you when you time-travel. And when you go to the future this time, I'm coming with you."

Barry looked at Iris, as if she could help explain that it was a bad idea, but he found his wife staring at him with a straight face. You're the one who wants to do this, she seemed to be saying. You have to decide.

He opened his mouth to start to tell Caitlin it was easier if he went alone, and then closed it when he met her eyes. He understood her need to know. "Alright," he conceded.

"Dad," Nora started.

"Get ready," Barry said. "We'll leave in five."

Nora seemed uncertain, but Caitlin dipped her head in confirmation.

* * *

Barry hugged Iris tightly. "We'll be back in a few seconds," he said quietly.

"I know."

Nora was standing by the mouth of the speed lab with Caitlin. Barry walked over to Caitlin and extended his arms. "Hold on tight," he said as he picked her up. Once her arms were locked around his neck he nodded to Nora, and they started running.

He had to admit he was slightly nervous, bringing Caitlin with him as he ran through the Speed Force, but they made it through without trouble. He followed Nora and skidded to a stop on solid ground, setting Caitlin down immediately.

"Wow," she said.

"You good?" Barry asked.

Caitlin exhaled and nodded. "I just didn't know you saw so much as you ran."

Barry looked around. "So this is 2049." Central City didn't look too different at first glance. A few more updated buildings, and some tech that didn't exist yet. Barry forced himself to stop looking, to keep from learning too much. "Nora, you lead."

Nora was looking around, as if this were new to her too. She wandered away a few steps. "This isn't right," she said.

"What do you mean?" Barry asked.

Nora gestured broadly behind her. "The plaque the city dedicated to you, twenty years ago. It was in the spot you disappeared. Now it's gone. When I left, I ran from that spot."

"So it wasn't put up?" Barry guessed.

"Maybe things changed enough for you to not disappear, so there's no need for a plaque!" Nora said excitedly. "Come on!"

She ran off. Barry swept Caitlin up in his arms again and followed. They went to a small house not far from the West house. Nora stopped in front of it. Barry set Caitlin down and looked at the house. "This is where you grew up?" he asked.

"You and Mom left the loft after you had me, because you needed more space."

Barry took a step towards the house almost without meaning to, drawn to it. It looked… nice.

"I'm gonna go in," Nora said. "Just give me a second."

She ran inside, and Barry turned to Caitlin. "Is it just me, or does this feel weird?"

Caitlin almost seemed amused, and might have smiled if she wasn't so focused. "We're in the future. Of course it's weird."

The door of the house banged open, and Nora walked back outside with tense, jerky movements. "We need to explore more," she said, walking past Barry and Caitlin.

"What -?" the question died when Nora sped away again. Barry looked at Caitlin apologetically and picked her up again, racing after his daughter.

"Nora, where are you going?" he asked.

"Kristin's apartment."

Nora stopped abruptly outside a few apartment buildings. Barry almost ran into her, and tensed when he realized why she had stopped: there was a speedster nearby. He put his arm in front of Caitlin, to silently warn her, and looked around for another sign of electricity. It didn't take long.

A blur of blue, crackling warmly with yellow lightning. "He was right!" a masculine voice called, from the top of the building.

"Did you really doubt him?" a feminine one responded. A different kind of crackling sound filled the air, harder, and a young woman came into view gliding across an ice bridge of her own making. She slid down it from the rooftop, landing gracefully on the ground. The speedster moved in a blue and yellow blur again, coming to a stop next to the girl.

Nora's voice was a whisper. "Henry."

Barry took the sight in quickly. The speedster was dressed in a dark blue suit, more like Nora's than Barry's. His complexion was just like Nora's, and as he stopped vibrating, Barry realized the boy had Iris's eyes. He was tall and lean, and looked at Barry without a smile. "Hey Dad," he said.

"What happened to your suit?" Nora asked. "What are you doing?"

"Patrolling, like we always do," Henry said. "He told us you wouldn't be able to resist coming," he said, looking at Barry again. "Said you would see what was coming so you could try to fix it."

"News flash," the girl said. "We don't want you to try and fix anything."

She thrust her hands forward in a sudden movement. Barry was too focused on Henry to react in time, and was just noticing the icicle when it was almost striking him. Caitlin shoved him to the side, waking him up from his stupor. The icicle broke against the ground.

The girl seemed to just notice Caitlin. "Mom?" she asked.

Barry hadn't really looked at her, but that was definitely Caitlin's daughter. Just the way she sounded was familiar, and beyond that, she looked a lot like Caitlin. Except for the cruelty in her gaze. That didn't really fit in such a familiar face.

"You are working with him," Nora said, horror in her voice.

"Thawne's not the man you -."

 _"_ _How could you!"_ Nora yelled. She ran up to Henry, pushing him. Henry didn't move, but Barry saw Kristin flex a hand that trailed cold vapor.

Henry smiled. "You still don't realize, do you?"

Barry walked over with a large stride. "Realize what?" he demanded.

"That Nora's been working for Thawne this whole time," Kristin said. She gestured around them, ending between herself and Henry. "She's the one who made all this possible."

Caitlin stepped forward. Barry wanted to tell her to stay back, but didn't dare take his eyes away from Henry and Kristin. He could tell these two didn't want to talk for long, and as much as he didn't want to fight his son and Caitlin's daughter, it would be faster if he didn't have to worry about protecting anyone. Kristin's eyes darted to Caitlin, as if she couldn't resist seeing her mother. Henry glanced at her for a second too, before looking back at Nora.

"Come on, Nora. You knew the Flash Museum curator was Thawne."

"No," she said, "I didn't."

"Think!" Henry said, forcefully. "He's the one who taught us about Dad. He knew more than any of those displays could ever teach us. And he knew when you could go back in time, to change the course of history just enough to give him the advantage he didn't have before, and trap the Flash even sooner. You wanted to change things!"

Nora backed away, shaking her head viciously. "There's no way I changed that much."

"Time travel's a bitch like that," Henry said darkly. "You'll adjust quickly."

Barry started moving at the same time as Henry. Henry went to grab Nora. Barry blocked him, shoving him away, and the chase began. He was surprised to find that Henry was faster than Nora had been. He was keeping up with Barry easily. "Why are you working with him?" Barry asked, after trying to pin him down.

Henry maneuvered out of reach and aimed a kick at Barry. "He taught me everything I know."

Barry caught Henry's leg and pulled him to the ground. Henry glared at him. "What did Nora change?" Barry asked, holding Henry's suit by the collar. "When did Thawne get an advantage?"

Henry rolled over, and sped away.

"Dad!" Nora yelled.

Barry ran back to where he'd left Nora and Caitlin, suddenly terrified. Henry was there, but he wasn't talking to Nora. He was running over to Kristin. There was a static charge in the air, and Barry realized Nora must have thrown lightning.

"We need to go," Barry said.

"We should check the Flash Museum," Nora said. "It'll be really quick."

She ran off before Barry could say anything, and he cursed in frustration. Henry helped Kristin stand, and the two of them looked at Barry and Caitlin. "Do you think we kept you here long enough?" Kristin asked.

Barry looked at them warily, his thoughts racing, and he felt his eyes widen. "She's gonna adjust to the timeline," he said.

"See you later, Dad," Henry said. "Oh, right. Never mind."

He picked up Kristin and vanished with a crackle of lightning. Caitlin cried out "wait!" Barry ran in the direction Nora had. He didn't know exactly where the Flash Museum was, but he searched quickly and found it in a few minutes. It wasn't in good shape, with broken windows and a run-down exterior. Barry ran through the doors of the small building and found Nora standing in front of a shattered display case.

He stopped just behind her, putting a hand on her upper arm. "Nora."

She turned to him with tears in her eyes. "This was perfect when I left. It was never empty, and now it's destroyed."

Barry breathed out a sigh that she hadn't been caught up by the timeline changes yet. "Nora, we'll make sure this never happens. But we need to go home now."

"I haven't found exactly what's different, aside from Henry being born earlier."

"We'll figure it out later."

Nora ran to the display on the opposite wall, and Barry forcibly made her face him. "You have to stop running!"

She seemed angry. "And you have to let me figure out what I did, or -."

Nora staggered, her eyes widening. Barry gripped her arm to steady her, analyzing her distant expression. Though he hadn't actually seen it, he thought it was familiar: she was seeing memories behind her eyes. "Nora! Nora, focus on me, okay?"

"Dad, I…"

Her expression twisted, from confusion to something darker, and Barry realized it was happening now. He picked her up and started running. She didn't react at first, and then started pushing away from him. Barry held her tighter, to both restrain her and make sure she didn't come loose from his grasp as he entered the Speed Force. "Focus, Nora," he told her as they approached present day.

He let her jump to her feet when they were back in the cortex, and saw that she still seemed disoriented.

"Nora, what's wrong?" Iris asked.

"Dad – Flash – messed up… I messed up… Henry…"

There was a wild look behind her clouded eyes. "Nora, come back to us," Barry said urgently.

"Barry, what's wrong with her?"

Nora wasn't responding to Barry or Iris. She kept saying fragments, not looking anywhere in particular. She was lost in her own head, probably caught somewhere in the memory shuffle altering the timeline caused. He hadn't thought such a short visit would be enough for it to happen, since he'd been in Flashpoint for months before it started for him, but the situation was different. Thawne was involved, and Barry was sure he'd found a way to make it happen faster for Nora. So she would become like Henry, and view Barry as an enemy. Her mind hadn't settled either way before Barry started running her back here, where she couldn't be changed. Which meant, in a way, she was stuck. "She needs a reset," Barry said, and retrieved a sedative from the med-bay.

Nora's eyes focused for a split second before she slumped in Barry's arms; Barry just wasn't fast enough to tell what emotion was behind them.

 **A/N: Cliffhanger! Sorry about that. So we now know that Nora is working with Thawne. In the show, she's doing this knowingly. Until the 100th episode, I thought she was working for him without realizing it. That she was being used, in effect. That's the premise for this story. This is the timeline now, altered because of changes that have been made since the night of the Enlightenment.**

 **As far as Nora mentally resetting to the new timeline, I know it seemed really fast. I had a theory that, because her actual time is in the future, it would happen faster than present day. You know what I mean? Barry created Flashpoint and started changing after a few months. But Nora's true time is in the future. So even though it's present day to her (like Flashpoint was to Barry), it's still not really present day. The future has to be set from Barry's viewpoint, so things change more quickly than they would in the present. Maybe? That's what we're going with.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked part three. Parts four and five, coming soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's part four!**

* * *

"Sorry I'm late, Ralph wanted to – what happened?"

Cisco ran over to where Barry was crouched on the floor, looking worriedly at Nora. Ralph was in the doorway behind him, taking in the scene.

"I want to know that too," Iris said.

"I had to knock her out, because she was starting to adjust to the revised timeline." Barry looked at Cisco, who nodded his understanding as he grabbed Nora's arms. They brought her to a bed in the med-bay, and Barry turned to look at them and explain. "We went to the future to see how much Nora's being here has changed things." He bolted upright in a horrified rush. "Caitlin's still there."

"You brought Caitlin?" Ralph asked.

"More importantly, you left her there?" Cisco demanded.

"Not for long," Barry said, and ran down to the speed lab. He pushed himself forward, mentally kicking himself. He'd been so caught up in keeping Nora safe he hadn't been thinking of anything else. It had been at least fifteen minutes since he left Caitlin to go look for Nora. What if their children had come back in that time?

He didn't stop when he hit the street in 2049, running to the apartment building where they'd met Kristin and Henry. "Caitlin!" Barry called as he approached. He turned as he stopped, eyes searching the empty street. "Caitlin!" he called again, a bit more urgently.

"Barry!"

He whirled at her voice, and saw her coming out from the side of an apartment building across the street. He was at her side in an instant, wrapping his arms around her. His heart had jumped up and down so much in the last thirty minutes… "Caitlin, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay."

He let her go and looked at her. "Let's go home."

She nodded and let him pick her up. He thought she was holding onto him a little tighter than she had on their way to 2049. Hot shame flooded through him, as he realized she must have felt abandoned. He kept his hold on her tight as he approached their time, determined to make it up to her as soon as they got back.

* * *

Caitlin was surprised when Cisco walked right up and hugged her, after Barry set her down. "Hey," she said, patting his back.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she said absently. Her eyes went to Nora, lying on the bed, and she looked at Barry. "Timeline?"

"Hoping we got back here in time," he confirmed. "That's the only reason I left you, I promise."

"She's your daughter. I get it."

He must have noticed that there was something different in her tone. She guessed she wasn't doing a very good job hiding her shock, but she didn't care at the moment. Barry was looking at her funny, trying to figure out what was wrong, most likely.

"What did you guys see there?" Ralph asked.

Barry had a hand to his head. "Our kids."

He proceeded to explain that Iris was pregnant, Nora's reason for coming back in time, and their meeting with Henry and Kristin. Caitlin let him say everything, dropping to the background and only half-listening. Her thoughts were on the part Barry didn't know had happened. The part right after he'd gone to find Nora.

 _"_ _Wait!" Caitlin cried, as Henry ran off. She heard wind rushing and turned to see Barry racing in the opposite direction, after Nora. She looked back in the direction Henry and Kristin had gone. "Come back!"_

 _As much as she wanted them to stay away, since they seemed to hate Barry, she felt she needed answers. Were they working with Thawne because of some change Nora had made, or had Nora been right, and they'd been working with him all along? Rationally, she knew they wouldn't know what the original versions of themselves had been like. But a stronger, irrational part of her wanted to talk to them. To Kristin, specifically._

 _She was surprised when she heard a static crackle, and Henry and Kristin appeared in front of her again. She started to take a step backwards but forced herself to stand tall._

 _"_ _Kristin said you didn't want Nora to use her lightning. I should thank you for trying," Henry said. Kristin touched his arm and he let her down, looking at Caitlin. "You called?"_

 _"_ _Yes. I, uh…"_

 _Kristin was looking at her with a slightly amused expression. "This is as weird for you as it is for me, isn't it? Thawne didn't think Flash would bring anyone with him except Nora."_

 _Caitlin found she could focus again. "I need answers. Why are you working with Thawne?"_

 _"_ _You're definitely curious about that, but that's not what you really want to know," Henry said, studying her. "Kristin gets her ability to hide her emotions from you. I know how to read her, though. Which means I can read you. You want to know about your future."_

 _Caitlin stared at him levelly. "I want to know why any future family of mine would try to hurt the family I have now."_

 _"_ _Different age, same Mom," Kristin said. "You know better than anyone that family's more than blood. It's the people who are there for you."_

 _"_ _They're the same thing for you. Barry and Iris. Me."_

 _Henry had a familiar, stubborn set to his jaw. "My parents weren't there for me."_

 _"_ _Because of Thawne!"_

 _"_ _Thawne raised me!" Henry retorted, a spark of anger in his eyes._

 _Kristin calmed him with a touch. Caitlin could see that they really loved each other. She tried memorizing everything they'd said so far, knowing it would help when Barry got her and they went back in time. She had a feeling if she pressed too much, they would just leave, and wouldn't come back again._

 _Kristin was looking at Caitlin curiously, almost as if she wanted something from her but wasn't sure what it was._

 _"_ _You sure you know Flash as well as you think?" Henry asked, looking in the direction Barry had gone. "I can feel the Speed Force opening. And now it's closing. Looks like Dad's running home."_

 _He had to be bluffing. There was no way he could tell if Barry was time-travelling. There was no way Barry would leave her here. Though it had been a few minutes._

 _"_ _Your powers," Caitlin said, looking at Kristin again. "You don't have a Khione? Another personality?"_

 _"_ _Just the ice."_

 _"_ _She's got the attitude of Frost already," Henry said jokingly._

 _Kristin couldn't seem to keep herself from saying whatever was on her mind, because she lowered her voice and said in a rush, "Mom, when you get back… keep Dad close, okay?"_

 _Caitlin stepped closer to Kristin. "Keep who close?" she asked, trying not to show how desperately she wanted to know._

 _"_ _Kristin, he's already been gone for a few years from her time," Henry said quietly. "I thought you knew that."_

 _Kristin had her mouth open. "I thought it was right after she found out…"_

 _"_ _Who?" Caitlin asked again._

 _Kristin looked at Henry, who nodded reluctantly. "Ronnie Raymond. I thought he was still alive in your time."_

 _The ground seemed to start spinning as his name kept playing over in her head. Kristin actually put a hand to her arm to steady her. Caitlin looked at her daughter searchingly. "Ho-how is he…?"_

 _"_ _We've already said more than we should have. Thawne said not to talk too long."_

 _Henry did seem a bit apologetic as he said this, but Caitlin didn't notice. She was too busy comparing Kristin to Ronnie, wondering how it was possible._

 _"_ _We should go," Henry said gently._

 _Kristin smiled at her. "Bye Mom."_

 _Then Henry scooped Kristin into his arms again, and they left in a burst of blue and yellow light._

 _Caitlin moved without realizing it, in the direction they went. She realized she was leaning against a wall across the street when Barry's voice called her focus. She shook her head and started walking back to the street, struggling to stay in the present moment as her thoughts were pulled back to Ronnie, and forward, to Kristin and Henry. She clung to Barry a little harder than necessary, hoping the physical contact would anchor her as he brought her back home._

"… so I brought her back here, and you know the rest," Barry was saying.

"You're awfully quiet," Cisco said.

No one spoke, and Caitlin looked up, blinking. She hadn't been paying enough attention, and now they for sure thought something was wrong. They were looking at her, Cisco questioningly. He stepped closer to her with his arms crossed. "That took you a few seconds too long to notice. What's got you so lost in thought?"

"Something Henry said," Caitlin lied. "He came back after Barry went to get Nora, and he told me Thawne was his family."

It wasn't the part that was dominating her thoughts, but it was definitely in the back of her mind, so she didn't feel too bad about the lie. She could see that they needed more, though, so she told them how, according to Henry, Thawne had raised he and Nora, instead of Barry and Iris.

Iris looked to Barry, whose face was devoid of expression. "Henry said Thawne taught him everything."

Cisco was still studying Caitlin a little too closely for her to be comfortable, so she made an extra effort to be present and engaged. She could sort things out on her own time. "Do you think Nora will be out long?"

"She should come out of it anytime now," Iris said. "Barry only gave her a small dose."

Caitlin nodded, walking over to look at Nora. The girl really was a good mix of both of her parents. Caitlin knew that Henry would be as well, having seen him herself. For him to hate Barry so strongly… a terrible thought occurred to her, and she kept it to herself. She would ask Nora when she woke up, if it didn't come up.

She didn't want to make anyone more anxious than they already were.

* * *

"She's waking up."

Barry walked back into the med-bay at Caitlin's voice, and saw Iris start hurrying over as well. Cisco and Ralph came from the other side of the room. Nora stirred as they reached her, pushing herself upright.

"Nora?" Iris asked. "Are you okay?"

"I've got a major headache, but yeah." She looked at Barry, and the last of his apprehension faded. Her expression was normal. It was slightly questioning, actually, as she looked to him for an explanation. Which meant she still trusted him. "What happened?"

"You started adjusting to the timeline. Whatever life you lived before is different than what happens from here, apparently."

Nora was shaking her head. "Everything got so jumbled. I was seeing things that didn't happen, but they felt so real… I really did change things."

Barry knew she was beating herself up over it. Hopefully figuring out how to fix it made her feel better. "We've still got time to fix things. You just need to tell us everything that started to change."

"Everything?"

Iris nodded. "Barry's right. We'll work with what we know, and fill in the rest."

"It was mostly Thawne. Teaching me how to run. Writing on a white board while Henry, Kristin, and I took notes. Taking us on patrols of the city."

"Nora, when you went into the house without us," Caitlin started, "did things look the same?"

Nora looked at her guiltily. "No."

"Did you see Iris?" Barry asked.

"Mom wasn't there. When I went into our house, there was a stranger living there. I don't know what happened exactly, but from that rush of memories, Thawne really did raise Henry and I."

Iris's hand went to her stomach as she turned partly away, and Barry moved so he was brushing against her. "He won't touch you," he said in a low voice. "Either of you," he added, placing his hand over hers where it rested on her belly.

Nora stood. "I wish I knew more, but it was so fast that I didn't get much I can explain. Just a feeling. Like he's family, and we don't have much of that." Nora walked over to them, looking at Iris with emotional eyes. "Mom, you know I know that's not true, right?"

"Of course I do," Iris said, hugging her briefly.

"So Thawne hijacked your family in the future," Cisco said. The words sounded harsh, but his tone was careful. "He trapped Barry in some way, and Iris is… somewhere, probably. Maybe locked away somewhere, maybe… not." He cleared his throat, and Barry shoved the awful thought away. "No wonder they hate you," Cisco said, looking at Barry. "Thawne has a grudge against you that we still don't completely understand. If he raised your kids, he probably instilled that grudge in them too."

"That doesn't help us, though," Ralph said. "We need to know what changed to give this Thawne guy the edge over Barry."

"It's gotta be something that's already started," Cisco reasoned.

"Like me being pregnant?" Iris asked.

"Right. Forgot about that for a second."

Nora was pacing. "The only things I know for sure are that Mom's pregnant early and it's a different Cicada now than it was in the past."

Barry froze. Could it be that simple? He could see the others thinking quickly, their expressions distant as they did. Iris was still focused on Henry, from the worry in her eyes. Caitlin seemed to have an idea, though, and when Barry looked at her, he realized she was thinking the same thing. Maybe it was that simple.

"Thawne knew that helping me with the satellite would result in Henry being born a year early," he said, looking at Nora. "The only reason Henry was originally born later was because of the recovery time I needed. Even he couldn't have guessed that the trajectory of the satellite pieces would make a different Cicada, though. You said we never beat Cicada before."

"So if we beat him now -," Nora started.

"We'll be able to focus on whatever else comes our way," Barry finished. "What if there's not one single moment Thawne has an advantage? What if he wins because we're distracted by starting a family and fighting Cicada for years, along with all the other threats?"

"We know from the past that Thawne likes keeping us busy until the final fight," Cisco said.

Barry remembered the particle accelerator almost starting up again, and nodded.

"So making you start a family while Cicada's still new keeps us even busier than we originally were, giving him the edge he needs to capture Barry sooner," Caitlin said.

"Different Cicada means we might have more of a chance of beating him," Ralph said. "Thawne might not know that."

Barry could see that Iris's thoughts were back on the present, and there was a steely look in her eyes. "Then we need to put everything we have into capturing Cicada."

"In other words, go back to what we've been trying to do for weeks," Cisco said.

"No," Caitlin said, fixing a determined gaze at them. "This time we actually catch him."

* * *

 **A/N: What do you think?**

 **I don't know how long the next part will be, but it will wrap things up (whether or not that means the timeline is restored remains to be seen... hahaha). I was debating who Kristin's dad would be for a while before I wrote this, which is part of why it took me longer. Let me know what you thought of the reveals in this part!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's part five! It's the last part. I appreciate the response this story has gotten, and hope you like this ending. Enjoy.**

* * *

As the others went to talk to Sherloque about his most recent Cicada theories, Caitlin slipped down to the speed lab. It wasn't where she usually went to talk to Frost, which was part of the reason she chose it: she wanted privacy, and no one would expect her to be down here.

She walked towards the mouth of the track and sat with her back against the wall, and then placed the mental activity dampener on her forehead. Frost's voice came immediately.

 _You took your time._

"Sorry. I wanted to come talk right away, but couldn't find an excuse to leave."

 _I can tell you're conflicted,_ Frost said.

"Considering everything that's happened today, I think I'm allowed to be." She kept picturing Ronnie, the day of the Singularity. Was it possible he'd…?

 _Why are you taking what she said so seriously? Kristin and Henry think Barry is a villain. They're obviously a little misinformed._

"They didn't expect me to come with Barry and Nora. They didn't have to say anything to me."

 _This could be another part of Thawne's plot, to distract you and keep you from helping the team. They need you focused if they're gonna capture Cicada._ She was quiet for a second, and then her voice was gentle. _What if it was all an act?_

Caitlin stared hard at the floor, thinking back. Kristin's face appeared in front of her distant eyes. "She wasn't acting," Caitlin said softly. "The look in her eyes when she asked me to keep Ronnie close… she wasn't faking that need."

 _Caity… I know how much you loved him. But he's gone. Henry even said so._

Caitlin inhaled sharply.

 _Please don't get upset, I didn't mean to make you –_

"You're right," Caitlin said. Frost hadn't made her upset, though. She'd helped her realize something. "Henry said Ronnie had been gone for years before Kristin was born. He knew."

 _Yeah, we've established that._

Caitlin sat more upright. "Frost, he knew!" Frost wasn't getting it. Of course, Caitlin wasn't positive… "I have to check something."

 _You don't really… huh. That would be one explanation._

Caitlin practically jumped up, heading upstairs. She just needed a phone. "It's the only explanation, other than a Ronnie from another earth, or more time travel. And I wouldn't do either of those."

 _But you would do this?_

"To have a piece of Ronnie back? Absolutely."

She didn't speak as she grabbed the phone from her desk and snuck back downstairs. She thought Iris saw her, in passing, but no one called for her, so she didn't stop. She went back to her spot in the speed lab and searched for the phone number.

 _How do you even ask this on the phone? There's no way they'll just tell you._

"You're right, I can't just ask to know."

Frost seemed to know what she wanted to do, because she had a warning tone in her voice. _Caity –_

Caitlin took the mental activity dampener off and dialed the number. It picked up about halfway through the ringing.

"Hi, how can I help you?" a feminine voice asked.

"Hi, my name is Caitlin Snow," Caitlin said. "I wanted to see if you still have stock from a specific donor. A friend showed me an old listing, and I'd like him."

"You're interested?"

"Extremely."

"What's the name?"

"Ronnie Raymond."

The line was quiet for a few seconds. "It looks like we do still have his sperm in stock."

Caitlin breathed out low. "Thank you."

"Do you need anything else? Would you like to make an appointment to come in?"

"I'll call back," Caitlin said. "I need a little time to get things in order. But yes." She took a breath to steady herself. "I would like to make an appointment."

She ended the call and put the mental activity dampener back on her forehead.

 _I can't believe you just did that._

"I know."

Frost laughed. _I can't wait for you to tell the others._

"I'll tell them soon. They've got more to worry about first."

 _About Cicada… I've been thinking._

Frost told her about her theoretical immunity to Cicada's dagger, and Caitlin agreed it sounded promising. So she started trying to let Frost take control, without herself or her team being in immediate danger. As she did, her thoughts kept straying to the sperm bank.

Ronnie had donated to it when he was low on money, right before Dr. Wells hired him to work on the particle accelerator. He'd regretted it. She'd told him not to. Now, she was thankful he'd done it.

She was going to go through with it.

It was a big decision to make so quickly. But she knew it would work out. She would have Kristin.

She would have a piece of Ronnie.

* * *

Barry looked at the picture on the monitor, trying to figure out why the man was doing it. Sherloque's theory hadn't been bad. Actually, it had given them Cicada's identity in a matter of hours, once Cisco and Ralph had helped Sherloque fine tune it. Barry looked at the picture of Orlin Dwyer carefully.

"Why are you killing metahumans?" he asked the picture.

He knew that Orlin's niece was in a coma, but if Cicada was blaming all metahumans for the events of the Enlightenment… there had to be a way to reason with him.

Barry grabbed up his keys.

"Where are you going?" Cisco asked.

"To talk to Dwyer."

Nora stood and started to follow him, and Barry held up a hand. "I'm going alone."

"Dad -,"

"I'm not going as The Flash," Barry explained. "I just want to see if he's willing to talk."

"And if he pulls out his dagger and you can't use your speed to get away?" Nora asked. "It's not safe."

"We've tried talking to him," Cisco pointed out. "He didn't like it so much."

Barry threw the keys back onto the desk, where they landed with a tinkling thud. "I don't know what else to try," he said. He'd been thinking about it for the two days they'd known Orlin's identity, and he was still no closer to knowing how to stop him. "We can't beat him with our powers as long as he has that dagger."

The others were silent, and Barry almost picked up his keys and went anyway, but then Cisco spoke. "We have more than powers."

Barry turned to him.

"We've been relying on our powers more, but we've got some quality tech here. Probably some that can rival Cicada's meta tech dagger."

There was something in Cisco's voice that hadn't been there in a while: pride. His powers may not be very functional at the moment, but it seemed like he was finally accepting that Cisco Ramon was just as important as (more so, actually) than Vibe.

"There's an idea," Ralph said.

"Here's another." Killer Frost walked into the cortex. "You set the trap. I'll make sure he springs it."

Frost was standing tall, her gaze trained on Cisco.

"Okay, a few questions," Cisco said, holding his hands up. "One, how are you here right now? I thought you could only come out when Caitlin's in danger?"

"You guys are always in danger," Frost deadpanned.

"She's kind of got a point," Ralph muttered.

"Fine," Cisco said, shaking his head. "You can fill me in later. Next question: how are you gonna be able to get Cicada where we need him, better than any of us?"

"Because I'll still have my powers."

Barry walked up to her, the question on his lips. But she'd never gone against Cicada before. Caitlin hadn't known Frost was still a part of her last time they'd faced him. Just before he asked, he took in the slight upturn of her lips, the knowing, satisfied look in her eyes, and the beginning of understanding shot through him.

"His dagger works because of dark matter," he said.

"My powers don't."

"Frost, you're a genius!" Cisco said.

Barry looked around and saw something he hadn't seen in the team's faces in what felt like a long time: hope.

"Let's make a game plan," he said, starting to smile himself. "It's time to change the future."

* * *

 **A/N: So it's an open-ended ending. It's up to you, whether or not you think this plan is enough to change the future back to the original timeline. Or change it completely. In my head, it's as good a chance of changing the future as any (I think it could work).**

 **I will have one more update for this story, though the main events are completed. A bonus chapter, so you can see the future as I originally thought it would be. That's right, folks! Bonus chapter: Henry West-Allen's POV in the original timeline. Coming soon.**

 **Leave me a review to tell me what you thought of Nora's Secret!**


	6. Bonus

**A/N: We didn't get to spend much time in 2049, and you didn't get to see the original timeline I created. So here's a bonus chapter from Henry West-Allen's perspective, starting when he first discovered his powers. Let me know what you think!**

* * *

The lightning travelled through his body as he ran, filling him with an indescribable energy. He'd tried to describe it before, to Kristin, and she still didn't get why he loved running. He didn't get her powers, though, so maybe it was a personal thing. He'd only known about his speed for eight months or so, but it had become a habit to go racing through the city.

It was an accident that he found out he was a speedster, really. He hoped his mom would have told him eventually, but when he found the suppressor chip in his shoulder, she had no choice.

* * *

 _Henry was running up to Kristin, the meta cuffs in his hand._

 _"_ _Get back to the lab, it's not safe for you out here!" Kristin cried._

 _"_ _You need these," he panted, handing the cuffs over._

 _"_ _I also need you safe. I'll be right back!"_

 _She started going after the latest meta-tech lunatic that had caught their attention. This particular lunatic was making a mess of the street, tearing the metal sheets from buildings and jamming them into the ground (maybe trying to make his own lair?)._

 _Henry drew back slightly, but stayed to see if Kristin needed any help. She'd been doing this for years now, dealing with the minor threats to the city while Henry watched from the sidelines. He hated that he couldn't help more, but he would just be in the way if he tried to fight._

 _He knew that, but when the lunatic sent a sheet of metal right into Kristin's ice bridge, breaking it apart and throwing her back, he temporarily forgot. He ran forward, yelling for the lunatic's attention to give Kristin a chance to recover and stand._

 _It worked. It worked too well, and he turned to run as a wickedly sharp piece of metal flew towards him. He had no chance of avoiding it, and Kristin's wave of cold energy came too late to deflect it. The only thing that saved him was that he had moved slightly to the side – the metal sheet ran through his shoulder instead of slicing his chest. He heard Kristin yell his name, and in his peripheral vision saw her lunge towards the lunatic with a ferocity he wasn't familiar with. His focus was more on the blood seeping from his shoulder, though, and the stinging wrongness he felt there._

 _Kristin stood next to him, extending a hand, and he took it and let her help him up. "We're going to the hospital," she said, boosting them onto an ice bridge._

 _"_ _The lunatic -."_

 _"_ _He's cuffed and his tablet's broken. He can wait."_

 _Henry held onto her with one arm as she moved them to the hospital. She was at his side again the moment the doctor let her – and when they showed him the suppressor chip._

 _"_ _It looks like it's been damaged," the doctor said. "Do you want us to remove it and make a new one?"_

 _Henry looked at the scan of his shoulder, which highlighted the small square of tech that had apparently been implanted there. "Remove it," he said distantly. He looked at Kristin as the doctor took it out, reading in her eyes that she knew what this meant just as well as he did._

 _"_ _Do you want us to find a replacement?" the doctor asked. "I believe we have one in store for either you or your sister."_

 _Henry swallowed at this second bombshell. "No," he managed. "Leave it out."_

 _So the doctor patched up his shredded shoulder and discharged him. Henry walked out the hospital doors, his arm linked with Kristin's. "I don't know what to think," he said, after a few minutes of silence between them._

 _"_ _I think you're a metahuman," Kristin said. "And if I had to guess, I'd say you're a speedster like your dad was."_

 _He'd been thinking the same thing, but now he stopped, freeing his arm to turn and face her. "Why would I have a suppressor chip, though? Why does it seem like Nora has one too?"_

 _She was shaking her head. "I don't know."_

 _There was some feeling building in him – something shaky and erratic and off. He felt like he was vibrating, and when he looked down and saw his hands more as a blur than solid objects, his concern only grew. "The effect of the chip is wearing off," he said._

 _Kristin placed a hand on his arm, and some of his shaking stopped. "Don't freak out."_

 _He knew he was close to freaking out, and the fact that she could tell also helped calm him. It was a lot to take in. "I don't know how to tell my mom. Or Nora. She's gotta be a speedster too, right?"_

 _"_ _Talk to them tomorrow. You need to give yourself time to think things over."_

 _He took her hand again in agreement, and they started walking towards her apartment._

* * *

 _When he first started running… he fell. A lot._

 _After getting control of his abilities, he started to think of something potentially life-changing. If it worked. He kept it to himself for a few weeks, as he thought it over. He didn't tell his mom, or Nora. This meant he spent less time with them, since he was bad at keeping secrets. He was surprised he didn't tell Kristin for so long. But he wanted to be sure before he started asking for her help._

 _He also didn't think his mom or Nora could handle it, if he was right. His mom was always trying to be strong. Nora… Nora was too impatient. There was a reason they called her XS. Patience was something Henry was good at, and he knew it would be crucial for his plan. Which meant Nora couldn't know. But he needed to tell someone._

 _"_ _Kristin," he called one day._

 _She crossed the room, looking at him expectantly._

 _"_ _My dad's still alive, right? He's stuck in some prison he can't get out of, but he's still alive, isn't he?"_

 _"_ _Reverse-Flash probably wouldn't be here if he was dead."_

 _Reverse-Flash had appeared in their lives a few times. Only quick glimpses, but the people in Central City had seen his lightning trail all over, at different times._

 _"_ _If my dad's alive… what if we could find a way to free him?"_

 _Kristin sighed. "I think our moms and Cisco tried just about everything they could think of, Henry."_

 _Henry stood up. "I know that. But what if the answer isn't in logic?" He looked at her and felt his certainty grow. "What if it's in speed?"_

 _He could see the idea growing in her eyes as she considered it. "It seems possible. But we still don't know anything about where he is."_

 _Henry almost smiled. "We're going to find out."_

 _It was about two months later when Thawne appeared. Henry and Kristin were at the drive-ins, watching an old movie on a Saturday night. Henry tensed as his instincts picked up on something, but even with his speed, the man was already getting into the back seat by the time Henry turned around._

 _It took only a second to recognize the yellow and red suit, and fear and hatred struggled in Henry's throat._

 _"_ _I never thought of this as a date movie," the man said. His voice wasn't disguised._

 _"_ _What are you doing here?" Henry asked._

 _Thawne leaned forward. Henry put a hand out in front of Kristin, and Thawne stopped with an amused half-smile. "You learned you're a speedster. Congrats."_

 _"_ _What do you want?" Kristin asked._

 _Henry felt the temperature drop. Thawne narrowed his eyes. "I don't like the cold. I just want to talk."_

 _They moved at the same time. Henry pushed back, to keep Thawne from lunging forward as Kristin sent a wave of cold energy at him. She kept it going full-force as Henry moved the fastest he ever had, around to the passenger side of the car and grabbing Kristin in his arms. He ran without looking back, knowing if he did, he would lose any chance of getting away._

 _And then he saw a blur of red and yellow immediately in front of him and was thrown to the ground. He tried to keep Kristin in his arms, but let her go as he rolled a few feet away. He jumped up to face Thawne to find him standing right in front of him._

 _"_ _I thought you were the smart one of Barry's brats."_

 _This time his voice was modulated, his eyes glowing red from the lightning no doubt raging through him. Henry stood tall. "I'm gonna ask one more time," he said. "Why are you here?"_

 _Thawne moved to the side, and cold radiated in Henry's side as Kristin's attack struck him._

 _"_ _The two of you are really rough right now, but we can fix that with time." Thawne stopped altering his voice. He moved, bringing Kristin over next to Henry, and then peeled back his mask as he looked at the two of them. "Cold and speed don't mix," he said, "yet here we are again, a Flash working with an ice demon. It shouldn't work." Thawne studied them for a second. "I happen to need your help," he said with a look at Kristin._

 _"_ _Why?"_

 _Thawne ignored her, shifting his attention to Henry. "I also need a speedster, and as luck would have it, the two things I need are right here. In a committed relationship, it seems. I have a little construct that I need to rebuild. It's housing a nasty creature, and it's weakening, so I need to work on it. I can't do it myself, though. My energy is used keeping it stable. If I try to just kill the animal, it'll escape. I need another speedster to keep the construct stable, and your icy girlfriend here to freeze the animal inside in the split second it has to escape while I turn over the keys, so to speak. I'll kill the animal, and then we can all go on with our lives."_

 _"_ _There are other speedsters, and cold weapons," Henry said._

 _Thawne did partly smile. "You are the smart one. Yes, there are other speedsters, but I need someone more in tune with the Speed Force. I need someone capable of going as fast as me. If not faster," he added, almost reluctantly. "Your father was the only one to challenge me in that way, and with more training, you should be able to reach his top speed and help me."_

 _Henry could see Kristin trying to figure out a way to attack, and tried to tell her not to. She glared at Thawne. "You're despicable," she spat. "You ruined the Flash's life, and the lives of his family, and now you want us to help you? That will_ _ **never**_ _happen."_

 _Thawne extended his hand toward her, lined up next to her chest, and started vibrating it. Henry started to reach for her, but stopped when Thawne started vibrating his hand even faster. "I haven't killed anyone this way in a long time," Thawne said softly. "I'd rather not kill you, since you could be of use to me, but know that I won't have any remorse if you make me. Like you said…" He looked at Henry. "There are cold weapons that are just as effective."_

 _Kristin's eyes were huge and terrified, and Henry help up his hands. "Okay!" he cried._

 _Thawne's hand didn't stop. "You'll help me?"_

 _Henry swallowed his emotions. "It looks like I don't have much choice."_

 _"_ _I trained your father to be the hero your city loved. Now I'll train you." Thawne stopped his hand from vibrating and took a step back. "See how simple that was? I'll be back soon." He pulled his mask back up. "And if you every try to attack me again? I'll crush her heart before you can blink, closely followed by yours."_

 _He ran out of sight in a crackle of electricity, leaving the night around them silent. Henry didn't know if he moved first or if it was Kristin, but in less than a second they were in each other's arms. Henry could feel Kristin trembling, and thought he might be as well. He held her close as their breathing calmed, and only moved when he felt her hand tracing over his arm._

 _"_ _I'm sorry," she said._

 _He looked at the ice, concentrated, and vibrated so it broke off._

 _"_ _I can't believe he approached us," Henry said._

 _"_ _We can't help him. You know that, right?"_

 _Of course he knew that. But he also knew that he was the kind of person who would let the world burn, to save her. He was positive the image of Thawne's hand threatening her would haunt him for a long while. "We need to tell my family. They'll know what to do."_

 _"_ _Henry, stop thinking about me! Okay? Don't you understand what just happened?"_

 _He was a bit taken aback at her change in tone._

 _"_ _He has something trapped in a construct. He didn't say cage. Henry, what if he's talking about -?"_

 _"_ _My dad," Henry realized. "Thawne has him somewhere."_

 _"_ _And he's going to show us where."_

 _Henry shook his head. "He'll kill us if we try to free my dad."_

 _Determined blue eyes met his. "Not if we strike first. Thawne's famous for betrayal. Let's let him teach us a thing or two. He won't suspect a thing."_

* * *

So Thawne started training Henry, teaching him how to be a real speedster. Henry didn't have to pretend to like him. Thawne openly expressed his hatred for them. But Henry did find value in Thawne's teachings. As Kristin had said weeks before: Thawne was good with betrayal. Henry learned how to hide things from the man in yellow.

Henry did tell Nora that Reverse-Flash had confronted he and Kristin. He left it at that, though, still believing that keeping her in the dark was the only way to succeed. If he and Kristin wanted to live through this, and actually get Barry back, no one else could know what they did.

He tried to ease his guilty conscience by teaching Nora a few basics about being a speedster, but his time was quickly filled, either being drilled with training from Thawne or practicing with Kristin, to try and become a flawless meta-team. Nora turned to The Flash Museum with talk of running back in time, and Henry told her it was a bad idea. He should have sat her down and told her the truth, the last time Nora asked for his advice on when to go back to. If he'd known she would act so soon…

Henry was going to ask Kristin to marry him. He'd been waiting, knowing he wanted to ask her since they started dating, and he couldn't wait any longer. It had been six years, after all. He thought his mom knew. He thought Caitlin did as well. But Nora he wasn't sure about. She either didn't realize how crazy Henry was about Kristin, or she didn't want to. Now that he and Kristin were literally working with the enemy, he didn't want to wait any longer. It took up a lot of his attention, and he didn't realize his impatient sister was done waiting.

He was going to ask Kristin that night, when Nora confronted him and told him she was going back to the Enlightenment. Henry pleaded with her to stay in their time, but she hadn't listened to him in weeks. She thought he didn't care, and he realized she felt betrayed.

And then she ran off, from the spot their father had disappeared over two decades before, Henry's shouts of _"Nora, PLEASE!"_ lost in the rush of speed she generated.

Thawne was supposed to take Henry and Kristin to his construct that housed Barry later that week.

As Henry ran to tell Kristin what had happened with Nora, a ripple seemed to go through the world, stopping him and sending him sprawling to the ground.

He saw a rush of memories, and felt a building pressure in his head as new images played over in his brain. The new ones started crashing into the old, tearing them apart so viciously that he wasn't aware of it.

Henry West-Allen's memories changed.

And then his life followed suit.

* * *

 **A/N: There's the bonus chapter of Nora's Secret. This is the timeline as it originally was, before Nora went back. She was suspicious of Henry and Kristin, but didn't know the whole story. And when she changed things, she made her suspicions the reality. That's why it's important to learn all the facts!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this story. I know I enjoyed writing it. If you like my writing, be on the lookout for a few other stories I'll be posting soon, including:**

 **\- 2 Snowstorm (Ronnie x Caitlin) oneshots**

 **\- A Flash and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. crossover (details are on my profile page)**

 **Thanks for the support on this story. Until next communion.**

 **Pokémon Fan 98**


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